Judges program and how-to guide

All DVG judges are German Kennel Club (VDH) and FCI recognized.

DVG judges are available to judge trials for any AWDF-member breed club. Contact the LRO, (Director of Judges,) for information.

DVG judges are all-breed judges, understanding the different characteristics of each breed and evaluating their performance objectively. Once every two years, the judges meet and have a formal, two-day workshop to discuss new rules and their interpretation. All our Judges are active in the sport; training, working and competing.

If interested in the apprentice program please feel free to contact the DVG America LRO regarding the availability of the program.

Judges apprentice program (LRA)

To apply to the DVG Judge’s program you must:

Be a minimum of 25 years old and maximum of 55 years old

Be a DVG member for a minimum of five years

Have, at minimum, one year as training director (club or LV level)

Have been a trial chairperson for a few trials

Not be a judge in any other dog sport / breed organization

Have titled two dogs from IPO 1 to IPO 3 and one of these dogs (or another dog) must have a BH and an FH

Have been a helper (in some cases theoretical knowledge is enough)

The applicant can apply anytime during the year. (All documentation for new LRA’s have to be in the DVG office prior to September 15th for the process to begin)

Application papers

Submit two resumes, one from normal life and a resume about dog sport; (two separate resumes)

Make the following DECLARATIONS.

To pay for the education (the LRA gets no expenses paid)

That the LRA has and will make no claim for damages against DVG for bodily injury or loss of income that results from judges training or from training or judging assignments

Get a letter from a mentor judge that they will support you and give you further training throughout the program when you become an apprentice judge

Get a letter from your club president stating that they support you

Get a letter from your KG President stating that they support you

Get a letter from your LV President stating that they support you

Provide two passport photos

The candidate will then put everything together and give it to the club President. All of the letters and resumes get put in one package and will then get sent to the LRO

The package then gets sent to Germany to the DVG LRO, and once the board approves the new apprentice judge it will get published in LV America’s magazine and also in DVG Germany’s magazine.

If anyone has any concerns about the apprentice judge after their information has been published, they must put it in writing, sign it and send it to the LRO of the LV where the candidate belongs.

The apprentice time starts with an introduction (normally from the DVG LRO) and also a written test.

Requirements for permission to do the final exam

The LRA has to judge a minimum of five trials with four different judges

Judge a minimum of 30 dogs in IPO 1 – IPO 3

Judge a minimum of 20 dogs in BH

Judge a minimum of five dogs in FH

The LRA must write up a report for each trial at which they apprentice. The report gets sent to the judge they were working with for review. The report then is sent to the LRO with comments from the judge. Finally, the report gets sent from the LRO to the DVG Germany LRO.

All requirements must be finished within two years of starting the LRA program.

What is DVG?

DVG stands for Deutscher Verband der Gebrauchshundsportvereine, or the German Association of Working Dog Sport Clubs. DVG is the oldest Schutzhund training organization in the world. DVG was formed officially in 1947, but its roots go back to Germany’s first police and service dog associations formed in the early 1900s. DVG has over 30,000 members, with about 2000 of them participating in Schutzhund.